Thousands of British holidaymakers were attempting to board flights out of Thailand yesterday after anti-government protesters occupied airport runways at the country's most popular beach destinations.
The political chaos that has engulfed the capital, Bangkok, and regional cities in the past week threatens to unseat the prime minister.
Three major Thai airports - Phuket, Krabi and Hat Yai - were closed for most of the weekend and the state's rail network paralysed by strikes coordinated by the People's Alliance for Democracy (Pad).
At the heart of the dispute is the role of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister who was deposed in a 2006 military coup. Thaksin, now owner of Manchester City football club, fled to Britain to escape an array of corruption charges. The protesters allege that the current coalition government in Bangkok is operating as his political proxy.
The movement's decision to target the wealth-providing tourist industry indicates how much is at stake.
"We closed the airports to tell them we can do this on a much, much bigger scale if they don't listen to us," said the alliance's founder, Sondhi Limthongkul, at the weekend.
For several days Phuket and Krabi airports were blockaded and protesters staged sit-ins on runways. As many as 20,000 passengers, many tourists, were prevented from boarding flights home.
On Saturday, the protesters released their grip on the southern airport of Hat Yai. Yesterday PAD supporters withdrew from terminals at Phuket and Krabi.
Thousands of Britons are believed to have been caught up in the turmoil, which came in the closing days of the summer holiday season. Many were forced to hire taxis for the 10-hour ride north from their hotels direct to Bangkok airport. There were reports of PAD supporters setting up roadblocks on routes into the capital.
Alex Reynolds, 53, an exhibitions organiser from Kensington, London, was sitting in O'Tool's bar in Phuket yesterday hoping the chaos had cleared in time for his flight home. "A lot of people paid 15,000 baht [£240] to hire taxis to make sure they got their connections in Bangkok," he said. "It's been difficult. Protesters were sitting on the runways but they have reopened the airport just in time. People were trying to get us to sign petitions. I didn't want to get involved. I didn't expect an [attempted] coup here."
The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) said many package holiday firms paid for tourists to stay extra nights or organised buses back to Bangkok. "It's been an inconvenience rather than a disaster," a spokesman said.
The Foreign Office cautioned tourists to "avoid large demonstrations" and the central area of Bangkok. "The situation is changing by the minute," an official said. More than 800,000 Britons visit Thailand every year.
Thailand's parliament went into emergency session last night trying to resolve the crisis, which has prompted thousands of demonstrators to occupy the compound surrounding the prime minister's house.
The People's Alliance began the demonstrations last week, demanding the resignation of the prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, and his entire cabinet. Protesters, some wielding golf clubs, stormed national radio stations while others clashed with police. Arrest warrants have been issued against protest leaders but police have been unable to enforce them.
The demonstrators say they want to end western-style democracy because it has been perverted by corrupt politicians.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008
